School reconstruction after fire damage

At around 9pm on October 22, 2020, a fire broke out at Mae Kae Khee School in the Trakuk District of Karen State, Myanmar. The cause of the fire is unknown but it is possible that a flame was left unattended as students often study by candlelight. The front of one of the school buildings was left badly damaged, along with textbooks, stationery, sports equipment and some personal belongings including two mobile phones and about 7,000 baht in cash. After having been deemed to be structurally unsafe, the decision was made to dismantle and reconstruct the building. However, all the wood that could be salvaged was repurposed to replace ruined tables and chairs

Mae Kae Khee School is one of nine schools under the SchoolPower Project. With support from PCF, the Friends Without Borders Foundation (FWB) currently supports 75 students from grades 1 to 8, a school director and six teachers.

Despite difficulties bringing in building supplies from across the Thailand border during the COVID-19 pandemic, the new school building was completed in two months with a total of six classrooms and one solar panel-equipped staff room. This was made possible with the kind cooperation of school employees, the school board, local volunteers and a local Karen network, which purchased zinc roofs. Leftover materials will be used for the construction of one additional teacher dormitory, which is still being planned